Takaaki Nakagami celebrated his 30th birthday on Wednesday with the 2022 LCR Idemitsu team presentation ahead of his fifth year in MotoGP.
Unfortunately with the paddock already settled on Lombok Island ahead of Friday’s testing duties in Indonesia, there was little planned for the Japanese rider’s milestone day.
“I don’t have any plans,’ Nakagami said quietly. “Today with all my team, maybe we have some dinner together but no big celebrations. Here, with the Covid, it’s difficult. Just be quiet and like some drinks and that’s it. Very simple but celebrate with all my team.
“Now my age is the same as my bike number, which is good. Good to see my age 30 and my bike is 30, so hopefully successful this season and hopefully we can have many big victory this season.”
Reflecting on the ‘biggest revolution of the Honda since the MotoGP rules have changed’, the Japanese rider’s confidence and anticipation, however, was clear to hear.
“Definitely feels like this new bike, they made a big change. As you see from the outside, the bike is big change - the shape and everything. Even before I jump on the bike, I’m super excited. I was imagining that this bike would have the potential and the reality too, when I jump on a bike.
“I felt like the first time when I tried the new bike in Jerez, very first impression was like, ‘This is not Honda’s bike’.
“Because I knew that from 18/19/20/21, these four years, every year the bike is evolution and also improvement but this character or concept, it was the same. But the 2022 bike, from this year’s bike made big, big change and also the concept is completely different. The two days test in Jerez and two days test in Sepang and then I now start to understand this bike.
“The feeling is completely different, the front feeling and also the rear feeling, a little bit takes time to understand and still we are not 100 per cent well to understand this potential but definitely this bike have big potential. So I believe that this season gonna be, I’m really excited!
“This season is gonna be super important for myself because most of the riders will be finished after this year and you never know, maybe some swap or some moving around,” he said of the impending contract negotiations across the class. “This is my fifth year of MotoGP so it’s time to, also for myself, it’s time to show the real potential. That’s why from the winter, from December I start to have a mental trainer or mental coach to improve myself many things to be ready for good season.
“I’m super excited but at the same time, I feel that there’s a lot of pressure of course, but this combination I feel at the moment is super comfortable, because I want to feel myself a lot of pressure to be fighting for the championship this season. If from Qatar we are able to fight at the front group or we fighting for the victory, this is good. So, this is my target at the moment for Qatar and after that a couple of races in Indonesia, also Argentina, Austin and before Europe I want to be already fighting for the championship and be ready for a good season.
“At the moment I don’t have any manager, I do myself and the same as in the past,” he explained further. “So I don’t know, because at the moment I’m thinking too many things, for the season and for the contract and for the mental coach, is many things to do but at the moment I’m not looking for another manager to help or take care of myself. I’m okay at the moment, let’s see for the future but at the moment I’m thinking to do myself, even this year.
“We just started, and also he almost don’t know about MotoGP” he said of his new coach. “First thing that I explained is MotoGP and this kind of sport and that’s why I need the mentality [to be] more strong. So I explained what are the problems. He don’t know about MotoGP but in the past he have many experience, he take care about many athletes, about many sports, like golf or tennis or basketball or also football. First thing that I explained that I have this part I’m not strong enough so I want to be more competitive in these areas and he explained some example or some training.
“Also, if I had some question or something inside my mind, I tried to note it and to remember every moment. At the moment, quite easy, just we had one test in Sepang, and this weekend we have Mandalika test three days, and then Qatar, Indonesia, America, so race by race I’m thinking to try and improve. I don’t like rush, it’s better to little by little understand each other and try to always understand well.”
With a new bike at his disposal and a full calendar scheduled for the first time in recent years, which tracks is the LCR rider looking forward to experiencing on the RC213V for 2022.
“If I think a special track, I think Austin or Jerez, Mugello too and Motegi also because it’s my home GP,” Nakagami confirmed. “Definitely these two years, ’20 and ’21 was really, really sad no home GP and so hopefully this year we’re able to go there and have a good race. So I’m super excited already to go Motegi.”
